Friday, December 21, 2007

"Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall." - Dave Berry

I've pretty much stayed away from the whole Christmas thing because from a "stuff" point of view it seems like it's just too big. Unfortunately, a large part of the holiday has become synonymous with commerce and waste which is fairly unfortunate. Having said that, here are a few quick thoughts where we can each make a difference.

Trees - You're probably well past this point, but if not, why not go with a living tree in the ground as opposed to one that has been cut? Many folks get a potted tree, use it indoors, and then plant it afterwards, the gift that keeps giving! Fake trees are also a way to go and while they do take energy and materials to create, you can use them year after year, so you're good to go for a while. If you do use a real tree, at least get it to a compost facility when you are done. As far as decorations, try to go with natural compostable (think popcorn) rather than plastic or electric.

Wrapping - Here's a place where you can make a huge difference. Doesn't it seem sort of odd to purchase paper, wrap something in it, and have someone rip open that wrapping and toss it? Seems like a lot of energy expended for something that is headed towards the heap. If you want to wrap, why not use newspaper, or the comics, at least something that is re-purposed anyway. Gift bags are a cool way to go too because they can be re-used over and over. Or, if you want to add to the gift, why not wrap it in a gift like a scarf, shirt, or sweater? Another thought is to give people gifts in cotton bags that they can then take to the store, so you're gift keeps on working towards a better world.

Cards - Cards are really nice additions, but in all honesty, again, a fair amount of energy and materials for something which is of extremely limited use. With the internet being what it is, an e-card is simple, and a web site greeting can be more than a card could ever be. If you do want to go the card route, why not make one (or better yet have the kids do it) out of recycled paper - you won't find a Hallmark with dried macaroni, trust me, I've tried.

Gifts - Not going to dwell too much here, but suffice it to say that something old is going to be much more sustainable than something new. I like the idea of giving a book that you've already read, it shows the person that you've put thought into it, and is much more personal than buying a new one. Food is always a good idea, as are gift certificates towards services -movies, theater, massage, anything...maybe you'll walk there dog for a week...it's only limited by your imagination. Bottom line, think about the energy and materials that went into your gift, its lifecycle, and where it will eventually end up.

One other thought I had was contacting Starbucks and asking them if they can have express lines for people with mugs wherever that is possible. Seems to me that if people aren't going to do it for the enviro aspect, or for the money savings, they'd definitely go for it if they shaved ten minutes off their wait, no?

You can contact Strabucks at http://www.starbucks.com/customer/contact.asp,

I guess that depends on where you live. File this under the "don't try this at home" but here's an odd story about a guy in Australia who is running his boat on human fat and is going to try to break the world speed record for circumnavigation. He actually donated some of his own (through liposuction). Perhaps there is a cross marketing opportunity between Hollywood vanity cases and the biofuels racing community? I think I need to call my agent.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Let's say you work in an office building and on the way to work everyday you stop in at your local Coffeepeetbucks for a nice cup of Java. Generally speaking they'll give you a single cup, with one of those sleeve thingies and a nice plastic lid. With any luck you'll at least recycle all these products, but the vast majority of them, Starbucks annual cup use alone is 1.5 Billion (that's right, it's a B, not an M), end up in a landfill somewhere. So not only are you filling landfills, but think of all the energy and raw materials that went into that cup, thingy, and lid so that it could be used once and chucked. It makes no sense.

So if you grab some Joe everyday, and you work 50 weeks a year, you're talking about 250 cups. Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and Peets, just to name a few, offer .10 back per purchase when you don't use one of their cups. So if you opt out as it were, you'd save over $25 in the first year alone. And if you invest that in a nice bond or cd, you could parlay that into a small fortune. Everybody wins right? Sure, except you can't spend any of that money because your hands are burnt from having the concerned barrista behind the bar pour scalding hot coffee into them morning after morning, and pretty soon, you've probably lost your job - and getting your pants zipped in the morning is a whole other thing.

Lucky for you there's an alternative. Re-usable coffee mugs! You can get these just about anywhere but you really want to get a quality one that is going to last, after all, they're basically buying the mug for you anyway, so why not live a little. For my money, you can't beat the mugs that Contigo makes which are available at Target amongst other places. They're really well made, durable, spill proof, and most importantly have an awesome rubber seal that is so tight that you have to open the little spout before unscrewing it due to the vacuum that can be created. They come with and without handles (that can clip on) and in all sorts of sporty colors. The one I have, which I beat on quite a bit, is going on two years and still running strong. I think it cost me 19.95, so it's more than paid for itself by now. I'm also convinced I look buffer holding it, but then again, maybe not.

Now if you work in an office, don't even get me started on why you shouldn't be using styrofoam. Grab yourself a nice ceramic cup, wash it out occasionally, and call it a day. On the off chance however that you work in some bizarro industry where metal is forbidden and ceramic feared, at least point your office manager to a responsible alternative such as compostable coffee cups, but if that is the case, please email as to where you work as I'd be fascinated to hear tales of such a place.

Finally, a lot of people point out that it takes energy to make that ceramic mug or metal coffee cup, and darned if they aren't right. If you feel like reading the nitty gritty, check out the specs at Ask Pablo. Compared to styrofoam use, a ceramic mug needs to be used at least 46 times to make a difference and the metal mug needs to be used at least 369 times to break even. Big numbers sure, but unless you're quittin cold turkey sometime soon, one you'll eventually hit.

"When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist." - Dom Helder Camara

My friend Doug (who by the way has a rockin blog called Free-Expression) sent me a link to a cool site where you can increase your vocab and feed the poor at the same time. It's actually quite a bit of fun and much tougher than i thought it would be. Every time you get an answer right, they donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations Food Program. In the 5 minutes before I typed this post, I was able to donate close to 5000 grains of rice, and I learned that a scullion is a kitchen servant (I know, it's ironic, but it's true).

The site was created by the same guy who created The Hunger Site amongst others (you can link to them from the hunger site) which are a few other ways to help out by just clicking. And if you think 20 grains of rice can't really help much, consider that to date, they've donated over 10,000,000 grains of rice. I don't know how many grains are in a bag, but that's a lot of paella!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

-This Bill has been signed already, but I think the point is still an important one to make.

Nuclear energy, as most people already know, has a ton of problems associated with it, not the least of which is the need to deal with the spent fuel rods which will continue to be radioactive for centuries to come. I recall reading that Yucca Mountain in Nevada was considering using solar panels to power the underground fans in their nuclear storage sites. There's some irony for ya.

The Nuke Free Petition concerns the energy bill that is now before Congress that authorizes "virtually unlimited loan guarantees for backers of new nuclear reactors." I personally think this is a huge problem, signed the petition, and urge you to do the same.

Here's my big problem with this petition and the bill before congress. Neither seem to deal with the real underlying problem which is our need for cheap energy. I don't want a nuclear plant in my back yard any more than anyone else does, but I also don't want coal powered plants there either. Neither is a sustainable option. What bums me out is that nowhere on the site (or in the video) does anyone mention conservation. It seems to me that if we as a nation didn't need more energy, we could make a pretty good case for not building more power plants. Having said that, why not have an addendum on to the site that says that you are signing the petition to send congress a message, and furthermore, that you will work towards cutting your energy use by 20% next year, so that in the future, we need less power in the first place.

Having said all of that, it's an important petition and I urge you to sign it, but send them a note explaining that you're going to do your part by cutting down as well.

Monday, December 17, 2007

"The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There's no innocence. Either way, you're accountable." - Arundhati RoyIn an effort to better understand our impact on the world, I invite you to checkout the Ecofootprint Calculator. It's pretty simple and will only take about 3-4 minutes but it sets up quite nicely where you stand as to how much you use. While the questions are somewhat vague, I think it's a good tool because it causes you to think about what choices you have to make. Once you've done the test, note down the results and change a few key answers to see where you can improve and what difference it'll make. If you are comfortable, I'd love to hear what your numbers were. If you'd rather remain anonymous, feel free to email me and I can throw the numbers up in the comments section without a name.

To start it off, our lifestyle footprint was an 8 which means that if everyone in the world lived the way that we do, we would need two planets worth of raw materials. I was able to get this down to a 7 by cutting out air travel back east but that's about as far a dent I could make in it.

Oh yeah, if you can't get the map to work on the first page, hit the "low bandwidth" link in the bottom right hand corner. Sometimes the site gets bogged down but that usually works.

So what"s the deal with this blog?

Herein, with any luck, you will find common sense practices, interesting tidbits, party stopping factoids, and generally amusing anecdotes (at least to the writer anyway) on our quest to achieve sustainability.